Arizona Diamondbacks Win Game, Road Series Over San Diego

Two sweet moments last night for Phoenix professional sports fans, both within a few minutes of each other:

Great start to 2012 season

First, the Phoenix Coyotes nipped the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime out at the Jobing.com Arena, taking a 1-0 lead in the first round of the interminable Stanley Cup playoffs.

It was an almost-mandatory win for the Yotes, being that it was a home game and the visitors from the Windy City had tied the game at 2-2 with just 15 seconds left in regulation. Phoenix is a scrappy team, and it would be nice to see them win a post-season series, just one.

Then, over in San Diego at Petco Park, closer J.J. Putz finished off former Arizona star Orlando Hudson with a nasty fastball after a nine-pitch at-bat to give the D-Backs a satisfying 3-1 win.

Aaron Hill and Jason Kubel had clutch hits for Arizona, which jumped to 5-1 on the young season, and Ian Kennedy threw six strong innings to earn his second win in as many starts.

The D-Backs should be formidable this year, though ups and downs in a 162-game schedule are inevitable. We just hope those downs come later than sooner.

Next up, the Colorado Rockies up at homer-crazy Coors Field in Denver.

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